“This book is the first of a series of twelve promised … If the remaining eleven are as readable and thought-provoking as this one is, then the cause of geography and physical geography in particular, will have been enhanced … Geographers who neglect the oceans all too easily should read this book and they will be inspired to talk and teach about oceanic islands” (Geography)
“The spread of subject matter is remarkably diverse and the geographical range global … On the textbook spectrum from the encyclopaedic to the slim thematic volume, the book sits at the specialized end, although often only in the case studies does the complexity of disentangling tectonic, eustatic and climatic factors become totally clear … The book is valuable as an entry point to a large and scattered literature” (Nature)
“The approach is … highly successful as the history of the oceans requires discussion of many complex theories which Nunn does well. He is comprehensive … there is an enormous amount of information contained within this book. It is an excellent review of the oceans and their islands … it is a very useful addition to the geomorphological literature” (Australian Geographical Studies)
“‘Oceanic Islands’ by Patrick Nunn is a benchmark contribution because it attempts to establish a unifying framework for the geographical understanding of islands that incorporates the vastly increased knowledge of earth-surface mobility and oceanic crustal processes that have occurred during the past thirty years … The book has ten chapters, each with a wealth of line diagrams of exceptional clarity and with at least one case study … ‘Oceanic Islands’ is excellent for use as a textbook. At the college level, it could form the core of a course that leads to understanding global physical-geographical processes through close focus on island genesis and life cycle” (The Geographical Review)
“Amongst the main virtues of this book are its comprehensive contents, its lucid explanation of the geology, climate and landscape of oceanic islands, and the wide range of examples and more detailed case studies drawn from places across the globe. Moreover, it is well-written and carefully designed with extensive referencing and a comprehensive bibliography. The reviewer found the excellent maps, diagrams and photographs helped in interpreting points made in the text … Oceanic islands are as the author notes in his conclusions ‘no longer terrae incognitae’. That this is so, owes much to the publication of this important and timely contribution to our understanding of the natural environment” (Scottish Geographical Magazine)
“It is the kind of text book students of oceanography and geology would work extra hours for money to buy their own, if their geography mates haven’t already snapped them off the shelves” (Islands Business Pacific)
“This excellent monograph opens a new series by Blackwell, which is meant to deal with broad topics of general import, shunning the narrow specialization of a large part of the geographical literature. This first work certainly fulfills outstandingly the avowed purpose. Truly the author has succeeded in offering a very effective synthesis of theories, models and researches in geology, geomorphology, climatology, biogeography and human geography … The deep general discussion, carried out with high critical ability, is enriched by interesting case studies … This book is a must for Earth Sciences or Geography scholars in any way interested in problems of insularity” (GeoJournal)
“’Oceanic Islands’ draws together the fundamental processes and factors influencing the formation and development of islands and, as such, makes a valuable contribution to the earth sciences literature … the book is a valuable reference for any physical researcher interested in oceanic islands and will have cross-disciplinary appeal” (Australian Geographer)
“’Oceanic Islands’ … is not a “glossy” text but is well-referenced and nicely-presented … It contains a wealth of information and … should become a valuable reference book not only for geographers seeking information about the physical environment of oceanic islands but also for those interested in the interaction between humans and their island environments” (New Zealand Geographer)